10 Essential Superman Villains Not Yet Used In The Movies
9. Sam Lane
DC Comics
As far as villains go, Sam Lane isn't exactly the most iconic, or even the most villainous.
A US Army general and father to Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane, Sam's post-crisis villainy manifested in his disproval of his daughter's engagement to Clark Kent and in his scepticism of Superman's presence on Earth. Their relationship was complicated further by Lane's role in Lex Luthor's presidential administration, with the general becoming the Secretary of Defence through to the costly events of the Imperiex War.
Earthly opposition to Superman was already broached (somewhat clumsily) in Dawn of Justice, but that's no reason to omit Lane from the franchise's future, even if he only appears in a supporting capacity. If Lois and Clark's relationship also progresses, then it would make sense to bring him in, opposing Supes on two fronts both in and out of the Kryptonian suit.
WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well.
In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.
